Four years ago, my wife was driving the Honda Accord and I was driving the Ford F150. We were happy with our automobiles. But, after the birth of our second child, my wife wanted to purchase a mini-van. (In our case, a Chrysler Town & Country). So, we were faced with the following options: We could sell my truck and then buy the van. We could sell the Honda and then buy the van. We could sell neither the truck nor the car and then buy the van. We went with option 3. Why? The truck was paid for and it was perfect for hauling off the trash and carrying stuff from the hardware store back to the house. We live in a VERY rural area of the country and it’s best to have a truck (of some sort). We still take our trash to the “dump”, so an old “trash truck” comes in handy. As for the Honda, I decided to keep it because it gets great gas mileage, it looks great, and I like the way it handles. So, we kept the two automobiles and purchased the van. (The van, by the way, was the last item I’ve ever financed.)

So, fast forward to mid-2007. The old truck has been driven less than 3000 miles in TWO years. Literally, I drive it from the house, to the dump, to the hardware store, and back home. While it still runs, I wouldn’t trust it for a trip over 50 miles. The Honda still runs well, but it just rolled past 120,000 miles. The van, while in decent shape, has almost 140,000 miles and starting to make a few of those “what’s that” noises. So, while we are happy with our current automobiles, we are considering replacing them.

As for replacing the truck and the Honda with a “crew-cab” truck… I want something that my entire family can ride in, something that looks “nice” and something that I can still “haul the trash off with.”

Moving on to an ENTIRELY different topic… I just purchased a NEW set of golf clubs! I’ve been using the same sticks for more than a decade and I was ready to upgrade. I purchased a set of Cleveland TA-4s. I also purchased a new Cleveland 588 wedge, so I’m ‘good to go’. The cool thing about this purchase is that I will be listing my old Callaway’s on eBay and I should be able to recoup most of the cost of the new clubs.

By the way, the golf club purchase has been in my budget for more than TWO YEARS. Category: New Sticks

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6 thoughts on “Driving And Drivers (Cars, Vans, Golf Clubs)”

I bet I sound like a broken record but with the number of miles you put on that truck, it sounds like you’d be a better candidate for a small flat trailer with a hitch on one of your vehicles.

We have 3 vehicles ourselves, a midsized SUV, a VW, and a motorcycle. The wife and I use the VW and motorcycle to commute with and the SUV is mostly a weekend car. The nice thing about having 3 vehicles is if one breaks down you have a spare, so I can keep the broken car in the garage for a weekend or two and fix it at my leisure (or wait to be shipped discounted parts).

Wow, clubs for nothing! Might try craigslist first, you might be able to sell them for the same price to someone local without paying ebay/shipping fees.

120,000 on a Honda is nothing. 🙂 It’s just barely stretching it’s legs. I bought my ’93 Accord with 170,000 miles on it and it’s at about 218k right now. Still goes and goes and goes. I did the second belt replacement when I first got it and haven’t had too many major repairs (ok the front axle breaking wasn’t fun but at least it happened in a parking lot and not on the street). Anyway, I’m not saying you shouldn’t sell just that it’s still got life in it. 🙂

Have you create an “after the switch” budget that includes the changes in what you pay in insurance, increased fuel costs from replacing the Honda with a larger vehicle, changes in maintenance schedules, etc.? If not, you may want to do so – given that usage on the current truck averages to less than 125 miles per month and you mentioned that you live in a very rural area, so probably a lot driving to get to work/stores/wherever. You may be frightened off of the idea after running *ALL* of the numbers.

Agreed, Amber. We are the original owners of a 1998 Civic. We’ve put 223,000ish miles on it, and it’s still a great commuter car. Regular tune-ups and tires, and the occasional belt replacement. We hope to put on half a million before thinking about replacing it.

Now the minivan is another story. Chryslers are not especially durable, especially once you get over 150,000 miles. That is the one I’d consider selling to get your truck, and of course selling (even just for parts) your old truck. Hold on to that Honda. New Hondas are seriously expensive and they hold their value well. If you still like it, you will probably miss it when it’s gone. Part of the reason my husband bought the Civic was because many people said to him, “I wanted to upgrade my vehicle after 300,000 miles, and I ended up missing my old Honda.”

If you read reviews on the T & C, and car boards they often die at around 150k miles. It could need a new tranny, engine, stuff like that. That would not make it worth it in my book I like my Honda. I might lean towards the new truck and keep the honda but sell the old truck/minivan. Although if you keep the minivan, can’t you haul garbage in there? Minivans have tons of room.